


morosis

by loupettes



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27091498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loupettes/pseuds/loupettes
Summary: "You're not exactly known for your great ideas."Ten x Rose, ficlet.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	morosis

**Author's Note:**

> Dialogue prompt: "You're not exactly known for your great ideas."

“Just - just trust me, this is gonna work.”

“You’re not exactly known for your great ideas.”

“Name _one_ time I had an idea and it _didn’t_ turn out to be great?”

She might have been inclined to agree with him, had she not at that moment been on the other side of a holding cell on Autopia Six, facing jail time for having the audacity to be blonde. As it would turn out, blonde hair on Autopia Six is sacred and of highest value, so when she pulled her bobble out and a few strands came with it she’d made a public statement declaring her intent to steal the crown. And she might not have minded, except it was just a quick box dye job with her Mum one Saturday evening in front of _Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway_ and it wasn’t even real. “ _Autopia Six is brilliant”_ , he said, “ _the farthest stretch of blue fields you could see”_ , he boasted. “ _You’ll love it”._

“I only have to think of one, right?”

“Oi, watch it! There’s two parts to saving your life today and I’m part one.”

“Ok, ok fine. So you want me to shout what again?”

“That you’re not afraid to cut off _all_ your hair and chuck it on the floor.”

“ _Easily_ the weirdest threat I ever thought I’d have to make.”

“Maybe so, but when you make it you’re going to face the death penalty so make sure to say it with gusto.”

“And where’s the bad news?”

He grinned, and she scoffed in return. “You know, one day you might actually have to pick up a textbook and revise important planet laws like ‘ _thou shalt not brush thine blonde locks lest they fall to the floor_ ’. Or even just the ones that might help one of us avoid death.”

He pulled a face. “Now _that’s_ a good example of a _not_ -great idea.” 

She decided he wasn’t quite worried enough for her liking. “Sorry, remind me again what _you’re_ going to be doing to help me, I don’t know, liveto see another day? So far all we’ve got is me - having _already_ committed treason - kicking up enough fuss to send me down the road to execution _full throttle_ , so I’m a little hopeful your part to play might make the rescue bit of this rescue plan a little more rescue-y.”

“Distract the guard.”

“Distract that guard?”

“Mmm. Yes.”

“That the best you got? _Distract_ the _guard_?”

He grinned at her, one of her least favourite grins of his because following one meant she got herself into situations like these. She must remember to have more control of herself, especially around an ancient time lord who’s made it abundantly clear to her that that grin gets him into more than enough dalliances with many other women like her, such as a certain unnecessarily charming 18th-century French aristocrat. She could feel her anger starting to boil once more, of course, because she still couldn’t bring herself to forgive him for something he still hadn’t, quite frankly, asked _enough_ forgiveness for, but mostly because she couldn’t help but feel completely furious with herself for allowing him to make her feel the way he makes her feel when he looks at her like _that_.

“Trapping yourself in 18th century France just to save some woman you barely knew because ‘ _history_ ’.” 

His face grew cold as soon as she’d spoken the words. He looked at her. “What?”

She looked straight back at him, somewhat pleased with herself for maintaining a much more approachable visage than she would have preferred to be sporting at this current moment. “Another time one of your ideas _didn’t_ turn out to be great.”

His gaze dropped to the floor. “Alright, I’ll agree with you on that one.”

And _now_ she was annoyed at herself for pushing him around once more. He’d already apologised. In fact, he’d apologised a lot more than once, because every time she thought she was ok with it she realised she wasn’t. He’d been making more of an effort, especially after she’d lost Mickey, to make her laugh and show her the more inspirational and awe-inspiring parts of time and space. He’d been really _trying_ , even if he covered it very well and made it _look_ like he knew what he was doing. To anyone else, it might have seemed thoughtless, effortless even, how easily he could find the hidden gems of the universe and make her feel warm and excited. But she knew him. She knew that it took him a little more effort for him _not to_ pull away when the hugs got a little too long, and that it was a little harder for him to answer the more difficult questions honestly if it gave her reassurance and peace of mind. And she knew how hard he was trying to make sure she didn’t feel even the _slightest bit_ as alone as he felt, now that her closest and dearest friend had chosen to stay in another world with a man she’d asked to be her father. 

“Dying to save me. That was an ok idea.” 

He laughed. “Sap.”

“Says the man who, quite literally, _died_ to save me.”

“Starting to forget why I did - remind me, again?”

“Guard, that way. Now. Go. _Distract_.”

He winked at her, and she knew he must have caught her blush furiously. He did, of course, he always does, so he chuckled as he spun around to ‘ _distract_ ’, as she’d said, in a delightfully playful way he needed to learn to overlook. Or, at least, learn to resist. 

Truth be told, he had no idea how he was going to ‘ _distract_ ’, and that became abundantly clear when he arrived at the guard’s station and appeared to have lost all sense of the word ‘ _plan_ ’. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find anything to say, so he ended up staring at this guard with his mouth open for not much longer than 8 seconds before closing it and clearing his throat. 

“Sorry, I - um, well. Basically, there’s been a bit of a mix-up, really. Two of the cellmates have got themselves into an awfully terrible fight just down the ha-“

“Mmm. Sounds it,” the guard grunted into the now very audible silence.

“Ah. Yes. One of them _did_ say he was going to kill the other one.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, knowing full well this was a lost cause. And that guard wasn’t making this any easier for him. Funny that; it was almost as though this guard actively _wanted_ to follow the rules. 

“Don’t mind my friend, sorry!” Rose hurried up besides him and took his hand, pulling him into motion with her towards an escape. “Our visitor’s pass is just about to expire, wouldn’t want to be late signing out! Enjoy your day!” 

“Rose? How did you - when - ho - what, how did you get out?” he whispered to her from behind as he awkwardly tried to match her frantic-yet-calm half-walking-half-running pace.

“I just asked the other guard if he’d let me out and he did, so. But never mind that, _quickly_ let’s get out before my hair starts turning greasy and everyone else realises the real offence is how awful my roots are.”

“What other guard?”

“ _The_ other guard.”

“There was only one?”

“Ok fine, he wasn’t a guard. He was the prince.”

He stopped, yanking her hand back so she was facing him. “You asked the _prince -_ the direct heir to the crown you so eloquently threatened to nick - to, what, just release you from prison and he said ‘ _ok_ ’?”

“Yep,” she said, yanking his hand back so he could follow her.

“Liar.”

“Swear down! Just asked him nicely.”

“Define ‘ _nicely_ ’.”

“I just told him there’d been a mistake, a huge misunderstanding, I didn’t _know_ fake blonde hair counted, and I also wouldn’t dream of trying to take their crown. Agreed to his polite request and he let me go. Simple as that. Now _come_ on.” She urged, quickening their pace.

“What request?”

“Hmm?”

“You said you’d agreed to his ‘ _polite request_ ’. What _polite request_?”

“Oh, that? It’s nothing, I don’t remember. I just agreed to whatever he said.”

“That sounds vague. And, actually, a little concerning.”

“Na, listen it’ll be fine, honest! Now walk _faster_.”

A furious voice bellowed from behind them. _“Those two! Stop them both at once!”_. They heard the sounds of metal scratching the floor as their arms were picked up, the guards hastily assembling themselves to the prince’s command.

“Oh, by the way. Doctor?”

“What?”

“Small catch.”

“What’s that?”

“I agreed to marry him if he released me.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m _technically_ engaged.”

“You are?”

“And now I’m running off with another man.”

“Ah.”

“That’s you.”

“Me. Right.”

“So, we might need a new plan.”

“And _my_ ideas are bad?”

“I learn from the best.” 


End file.
